I completely understand your confusion Dylan! As a new Massachusetts resident myself, I went through this exact same bewilderment with my first excise tax bill. You're absolutely right - excise tax is charged for the current year (2025), not the previous year. Since you bought your car in March 2025, you should only be paying for March through December 2025 (10 months of ownership). Massachusetts has some specific quirks in how they calculate this. They use $25 per $1,000 of assessed value, and for brand new 2025 models, they typically assess at 90% of the MSRP (not what you actually paid). So if your car had an MSRP of $30,000, you'd be looking at about $675 for a full year, prorated to roughly $560 for your 10 months of ownership. Before paying, I'd definitely recommend calling your local tax assessor's office to verify: - They have your correct March 2025 purchase date - The vehicle specs and trim level are accurate (they sometimes get this wrong) - You're only being charged for the months you actually owned the car Don't stress - this confusion is incredibly common for first-time car owners in MA! The system has some unique aspects that aren't intuitive. Once you get through this first year, future bills will make much more sense.

I went through this exact same confusion when I bought my first car in Massachusetts! You're absolutely right that excise tax is charged for the current year (2025), not the previous year. Since you bought your car in March, you should only be paying for the portion of 2025 that you'll actually own it. Massachusetts calculates excise tax at $25 per $1,000 of assessed value. For a brand new 2025 model, they typically assess at 90% of MSRP, not what you actually paid. So if your car's MSRP was $30,000, you'd be looking at about $675 for a full year, but since you bought in March, you should only pay for March through December (10 months) - roughly $560. I'd recommend calling your local tax assessor's office to verify they have your correct purchase date and vehicle specifications. Sometimes they get the trim level wrong or use an incorrect date, which can inflate your bill. The phone number should be on your tax bill. Don't worry - this kind of confusion is super common for first-time car owners! The MA excise tax system has some quirks that aren't immediately obvious. Once you understand how they calculate it, future years will make much more sense. Just make sure to call before your due date if anything looks off!

I just wanted to add another perspective since I've helped several international students through this exact situation. The most important thing to remember is that your tax filing status (resident vs nonresident alien) is determined by IRS rules, not by what forms your university issues you. Since you've been in the US since 2018 and meet the substantial presence test, you're absolutely correct to file as a resident alien using Form 1040. The 1042S is essentially just a reporting document showing income and withholding - think of it like a W-2 that was issued incorrectly. One tip that might help: when you enter the fellowship income in FreeTaxUSA, you can add a brief description like "Fellowship income reported on 1042S" so it's clear where the number came from. This can help if there are any questions later. Also, don't forget that you might be eligible for education credits (American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit) based on your qualified tuition payments, which could further increase your refund. Many students in your situation miss out on these credits because they get overwhelmed dealing with the 1042S issue. The bottom line is that you should get back most of that incorrectly withheld money - universities typically withhold at 30% for nonresidents when you should probably be paying closer to 12-22% as a resident, depending on your total income.

I went through this exact situation two years ago when my university incorrectly classified me as a nonresident and issued a 1042S for my research stipend. Here's what worked for me: First, you're absolutely right to file Form 1040 as a resident alien - your tax status is determined by IRS rules (substantial presence test), not what forms your university issues. In FreeTaxUSA, I reported the fellowship income from Box 2 of the 1042S as "Other Income" on Schedule 1, Line 8i. I wrote "Fellowship income per 1042S" in the description field. For the withholding from Box 7, I entered it under "Other Federal Income Tax Withheld" in the payments section. The key thing that helped me was being very clear in the software that I was filing as a resident - I made sure to answer "No" to all questions about being a nonresident alien, even though I had a 1042S form. I was able to e-file successfully and got my refund in about 3 weeks. The IRS didn't question the mixed forms at all. I ended up getting back about $1,800 of the $2,200 they had incorrectly withheld at the 30% nonresident rate. Also, don't forget to check if you're eligible for education credits based on your tuition payments - that was an additional $2,000 credit I almost missed! Keep your documentation from the university acknowledging their error, but honestly, the IRS sees this mistake from universities pretty regularly and handles it smoothly.

mine came through last week! took 97 days total. check your transcripts daily, thats how i knew it was coming

Been through this exact same situation last year. Got the 60-day letter in March, didn't see my refund until mid-July (about 110 days total). The waiting is brutal but most people do eventually get their money. The key is staying on top of your transcript - once you see the 846 code appear, your refund usually hits within a week. Don't give up hope!

your friend is buggin if he thinks this will work lmaoo. my cousin tried sum similar claiming his gf brother who was locked up. he got the money initially but then boom 6 months later irs sent a letter saying he was getting audited. had to pay everything back plus like $1500 in penalties. tell your boy not to mess with the irs man they don't play around!!

Your coworker is absolutely setting himself up for disaster. I've seen this exact scenario play out multiple times, and it never ends well. The IRS has sophisticated cross-referencing systems that will catch this - they receive data from correctional facilities and will flag returns claiming incarcerated individuals as dependents. Even if the refund gets processed initially (which sometimes happens), the IRS will eventually audit and demand repayment with penalties and interest. The "support test" is crystal clear - when someone is incarcerated, the government (not your friend) is providing their housing, food, medical care, and other basic needs. There's no way your coworker can legitimately claim he's providing more than half of this person's support. The fact that H&R Block's software shows a refund means nothing - tax software only processes the information entered, it can't verify if that information is truthful. Your friend is essentially committing tax fraud, and the IRS takes this very seriously. The $4,000 refund isn't worth the audit, penalties, potential criminal charges, and years of dealing with the IRS. Show him these responses and maybe he'll reconsider before he ruins his financial future over what amounts to theft from the government.

Great question and really helpful discussion here! I've been dealing with a similar situation - I've been doing estate cleanouts for elderly neighbors and selling items at community sales for the past couple years. Most of what I sell are genuinely personal household items at a loss, but occasionally I'll find something valuable that sells for more than expected. What I've learned from my own research and talking to a tax preparer is that the IRS really does look at the intent and frequency. If you're genuinely decluttering personal belongings and selling them for less than you paid, that's not taxable income. The key is being able to demonstrate this if questioned - keeping some basic records of what you sold and roughly what you originally paid helps a lot. For the cash deposits, I was nervous about this too but ended up just depositing everything normally. The $10k reporting threshold is about anti-money laundering, not taxes, and there's nothing suspicious about depositing legitimate garage sale proceeds. Just don't try to structure it into smaller amounts - that actually looks more suspicious than depositing it all at once. The most important thing is being honest about the nature of your sales. If it's truly personal property sold at a loss, you should be totally fine!

This has been such an incredibly informative thread! As someone who's been hesitant to deposit about $1,500 from garage sales over the past couple years, reading everyone's experiences has really helped clarify things for me. What I'm taking away is that the IRS has pretty reasonable guidelines once you understand them - personal items sold at a loss aren't taxable, inherited items get stepped-up basis, and occasional profitable sales might need reporting but aren't a big deal for small amounts. The key seems to be basic record-keeping and not overthinking the deposit process. I've been keeping a simple log of what I sold and rough original costs, which sounds like it aligns with what others have found sufficient. My situation is straightforward - just decluttering my own household items, mostly furniture and clothes I paid way more for originally. Thanks to everyone who shared their research and actual experiences rather than just speculation. It's really helpful to hear from people who've actually gone through the deposit process and tax reporting without issues. I think I'm finally ready to stop keeping cash in a shoebox and just handle this normally!